The shared electric scooter service was introduced in 2023 and, a year later, the city also launched shared electric bicycles, an initiative involving the municipality of Vila Real and the company Bolt.

In a statement, the city hall informed that the service will be terminated in September, a decision by the company that, according to a municipal source, took the city hall by surprise

The municipality explained that, under the implemented model, Bolt was responsible for the operational component of the service, namely recharging batteries, maintaining equipment, and relocating it when necessary.

Recently, it added that the company informed the municipality that it no longer has an operator to ensure these tasks, a circumstance that makes the continuation of the service unfeasible under the current conditions.

Therefore, Bolt announced that it will cease operations in the city starting in September.

"Thus, and since this is a situation beyond the municipality's control, it is hereby informed that, from that date, the electric scooters and bicycles integrated into Bolt's operation will no longer be available in Vila Real," the statement also reads.

The municipal source said the entire process will now be reassessed and that the possibility of proceeding with a new public tender will also be studied, and, if it does proceed, in what form it will be launched.

The municipality explained that the operation introduced in the city sought to "provide citizens with a transport alternative for short-distance journeys, offering a practical, agile and suitable solution for travel in urban areas and contributing to the diversification of mobility options available in the city."

In the city, its use proved significant, mainly by university students on their trips to the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD).